THE search-and-rescue (SAR) mission for Muhammad Hawari Hisham, who was reported missing while descending from Mount Everest last week, will end on May 28, Youth and Sports Ministry secretary-general K. Nagulendran said.

He said efforts to find the 33-year-old Penang-based mountaineer were being intensely carried out.

“The government, through the Youth and Sports Ministry, will provide financial assistance of RM1.48 million to Altitude Exploration Club for the SAR mission,” he told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

“We need to hurry because everyone must descend from Mount Everest latest by May 28 because the mountain area will be closed on May 29.

“So this period is very crucial. The government feels we must go all out, particularly because Hawari is a person with disabilities.

“We cannot extend the SAR period because we cannot risk lives due to the extreme weather. We hope this mission is successful and Hawari will be brought home safely.”

Hawari went missing while descending from Camp 4 last Thursday after conquering the world’s highest peak.

The matter was confirmed by expedition leader Azim Afif Ishak, who said the SAR operation is ongoing.

Hawari, 33, who is hearing impaired, is believed to have gone missing when on his way to Camp 3 after reaching the summit of Mount Everest, which is 8,848m above sea level.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry consular division secretary Mohammad Ali Selamat said the SAR mission has been expanded to include areas of Everest in Tibet.

“The Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, has informed us that the search area has been expanded.

“There are (search) operators in Tibet who have been informed to help find Hawari,” he was quoted as saying.

The Malaysia Everest 2023 expedition began its mission on April 2. It is to end on June 2. – May 24, 2023.